Why Do Forest Managers Use Clearcut Harvesting? (FS-23-01)

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of clearcut harvesting, notes important environmental consequences of clearcut harvest, and explains the difference between clearcut harvest and deforestation.

Climate Change and Historical Forest Growth Changes in the US and Canada (FS-22-10)

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of current knowledge about historical changes in forest growth and suggests how continuing changes may impact future fiber supply.

Soil Carbon and Forest Management – Focus on the Great Lakes Region (FS-22-09)

This fact sheet provides an overview of soil organic matter in forests and how various forest management practices affect soil carbon. It examines soil carbon issues specific to the forest products industry in the Great Lakes region.

Wood Ash as a Soil Amendment (FS-22-08)

This fact sheet provides an overview of wood ash characteristics and the types of wood ash generated at forest products facilities, examining benefits and challenges of land application.

Forest Management and the Water Cycle (FS-22-07)

This fact sheet examines the complex relationship between forest management, climate, and water.

Invasive Species in US Forests: Risks and Information Needs (FS-22-06)

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the risks to commercial forestry posed by invasive species, and the current research gaps associated with cost-effective solutions.

NOAA State Climate Summaries (FS-22-05)

This fact sheet documents the NOAA State Climate Summaries website, model projection summaries, and limitations of models and data.

Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FS-22-04)

This fact sheet provides an overview of the analytical methods commonly used to test for fecal indicator bacteria in pulp and paper mill effluents and implications for the industry.

Forest Harvest Effects on Low Flow (FS-22-03)

Understanding the influence of forest management on seasonal low flow is increasingly important with a changing climate.

Finding Enough Good Food to Eat Can be Challenging for Caribou in Northeastern British Columbia (FS-22-02)

Nutrition underpins virtually every life process in animals and is fundamentally important to populations through its effects on survival and reproduction.

Assessing the Impacts of Fire on Forests (FS-22-01)

Fire can have positive or negative effects on forest ecosystems, depending on the characteristics of the forest and of the fire.

Long-Term Receiving Water Study

The Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS) is an ongoing integrated NCASI study of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of US pulp and paper receiving streams.

Canadian Forestry Regulations and Standards

Canadian forestry operations are governed by a complex and continuously evolving regulatory framework based on multi-stakeholder consultation that varies by location and forest type.

Herbicide Tank Mixtures – Inert Ingredients and Adjuvants

Inert ingredients do not have direct herbicidal effects on plants, but they enhance the effectiveness of active ingredients and improve the product’s performance.

Forest Management Contributions to Biodiversity in the Southeastern United States

Almost 90% of forests throughout the southeastern US are privately owned. These managed forest landscapes provide a mosaic…

Paper and Plastic in Marine Environments

This fact sheet discusses paper and plastic in the context of marine litter as well as the relevance of marine litter in LCAs comparing products made of these two materials.

Forest Harvest and Snowpack

Climate change is expected to alter snowpack. Increased air temperatures can shift the type of winter precipitation from snow to…

Sediment Delivery in Managed Forest Streams of British Columbia

 Natural soil erosion contributes sediment to streams, but a variety of human activities (i.e., urbanization, agriculture, forestry, mining) can also…

Forestry BMPs Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in the Florida Panhandle Critical Biodiversity Area

This NCASI fact sheet highlights the ability of forestry BMPs to conserve aquatic biodiversity within the Florida Panhandle Critical Biodiversity Area, identified as an area of specified risk.

Forestry BMPs Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in Central Appalachian Critical Biodiversity Area

The Clean Water Act established national goals and a legal framework for protecting the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of…

Forestry BMPs Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in Southern Appalachian Critical Biodiversity Area

The Clean Water Act established national goals and a legal framework for protecting the physical, chemical, and biological integrity of…

What Do Caribou Eat — And Why Is It Important?

 Nutrition is vitally important to all life processes. For ungulates such as caribou, inadequate nutrition can negatively impact…

Paper Calculator 4.0

Paper Calculator 4.0 is a web-based tool for calculating and comparing environmental impacts of fourteen different paper grades with user-selectable amounts of recycled content.

Challenges in Characterizing the Effects of Forest Management on Biodiversity in LCA

Few LCAs have addressed environmental aspects of land use, including potential effects on biodiversity, and this fact sheet addresses ongoing debate about approaches for doing so.

Carbon Stored in Wood and Paper Products

Almost all of the sequestered carbon in the forest industry value chain is contained in three ‘pools’ – the forest, products-in-use, and products disposed of in landfills.

Herbicide Tank Mixtures – Potential Interactions

Synergistic chemical mixtures could be problematic because effects may not be predictable, but there is evidence that synergistic effects of herbicide mixtures are not an issue in actual practice.

The Forest Products Sector: Circular By Design?

This NCASI fact sheet explores how the principles of the Circular Economy are intrinsic to the forest products sector, and discusses opportunities for improvement and associated challenges.

Does Forest Bioenergy Affect Global Temperature?

This fact sheet addresses the confusion about the relationship between the timing of CO2 emissions and global temperature change, which has been particularly evident in the debate about the potential benefits of forest bioenergy.

What to Look for in Published LCA Studies of Forest Products

NCASI staff prepared this fact sheet to demystify some of the most important choices that must be made by the authors of LCAs and to equip readers to interpret the results with some objectivity.

How Do Managed Forests Contribute to Reducing Climate Change?

Productive forests that are managed to produce products that store carbon and replace fossil fuels most often have greater long-term carbon benefits than forests left unmanaged.

Is Paper Compostable?

This fact sheet reviews some of the scientific literature on the subject of paper's biodegradability and the impacts, if any, of using paper products for composting.

What is Dynamic Modeling of GHG Impacts and Why Is It Important to Forest-Based Industries?

In this fact sheet, NCASI examines the potential implications of using a dynamic modeling approach to estimate the climate impact of forest products.

Forestry Herbicide Use in the US and Canada

To help address herbicide-related questions that arise from interactions between Member Companies and their customers and other important stakeholders, NCASI developed this fact sheet to summarize herbicide use by the forest products sector in North America.

Climate Change Glossary

This glossary lists nearly 100 terms that appear frequently in news and journal articles on the topic of climate change.

Glossary of Acronyms

The following is a list of acronyms NCASI regularly references in our resources and their meaning.

Handbook of Chemical-Specific Information for SARA Section 313 Form R Reporting

The SARA Handbook is maintained to assist Member Company personnel with responsibility for preparing annual SARA Section 313 Form R reports.

Support Document on NPDES Permitting

This support document is organized around common questions NCASI has received from its members when applying for NPDES permit renewals and/or responding to draft permits issued by regulatory agencies.

Handbook of Chemical-Specific Information for the TSCA Chemical Data Reporting

The TSCA CDR Handbook assists pulp and paper mills or wood products plants in meeting periodic reporting obligations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule.

Resource Handbook for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

The PFAS Handbook provides appropriate sampling and analytical protocols as well as recommendations for working with contract laboratories and ensuring production of high-quality analytical results.

Handbook of Substance-Specific Information for National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) Reporting

The NPRI Handbook contains substance-specific information sheets for compounds that have some likelihood of exceeding NPRI reporting thresholds at pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in Canada.

Handbook of Environmental Regulations & Control (HERC): Pulp & Paper Manufacturing

The Handbook of Environmental Regulations and Control: Pulp and Paper Manufacturing covers EPA regulations applicable to pulp and paper manufacturing operations.  

Handbook of Environmental Regulations & Control (HERC): Wood Products Manufacturing

The Handbook of Environmental Regulations and Control: Wood Products Manufacturing covers regulatory requirements applicable to wood products plants.  

Methods Manual

As part of the Technical Studies Program, NCASI sometimes develops methods for analytical parameters for which no rigorously tested or validated methods are available.

Forest management practices that enhance value of southeastern managed pine landscapes to bird communities

The southeastern US is widely known as a bastion of privately-owned, managed pine (Pinus spp.) forests, comprised primarily of native…

Biomass Carbon Cycle Diagram

The forest sector is frequently asked questions regarding its use of biomass and needs to portray this use in the…

Forest Carbon from Young vs. Old Forests

This infographic illustrates how forests of different ages play different roles in removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in wood.

Biomass Carbon Neutrality in the Forest Products Industry

This NCASI infographic illustrates different accounting approaches that are used to assess biomass carbon neutrality, with wildly varying results.

Water Profile of the Canadian Forest Products Industry

This infographic illustrates that the Canadian forest products industry treats and returns nearly 90% of the water it uses to the environment.

Water Profile of the US Forest Products Industry

This infographic illustrates that the US forest products industry treats and returns nearly 90% of the water it uses to the environment.

NCASI Response to Dogwood Alliance Report

The report “Climate Impacts of Industrial Forest Practices in North Carolina,” authored by John Talberth and published in September 2019…

Boot Camp on Canadian Environmental Regulations

In April of 2020 NCASI hosted a series of five webinars to provide a high-level overview of Canadian environmental…

How Do Herbicides Work?

What is meant by leakage and substitution of forest carbon?

The Limits of Statistical Significance – Can we infer environmental significance from stats?

Numeric Water Quality Criteria in the United States

Waterbody Checkup: Using Bioassessment to Evaluate Aquatic Ecosystem Health

The Difference between Animal Toxicity Studies and Human Epidemiology Studies: Impact on Chemical Regulation

Conserving Biodiversity in Managed Forests

GHG Protocol Standards for Corporate GHG Inventories

Scientists in NCASI's Sustainable Manufacturing & Climate Programs provided this update on the World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

Measurement of Forest Carbon

This brief presentation (15 min) describes how forest inventory data are used to develop estimates of forest carbon stocks and…

Understanding Biogenic Carbon Video Series

This set of seven recorded videos provides an overview of biomass carbon and the key concepts needed to understand the…

Understanding Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

This set of five recorded videos provides an overview of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product Category Rules (PCRs) and Environmental…

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) - 1) The quantity of oxygen used in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter in a specified time, temperature, and conditions.

Six Concepts of Carbon Neutrality

Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS): Biological Assessment of Rivers and Streams

The study, involving four different U.S. receiving waters, includes two rivers in Oregon (McKenzie and Willamette Rivers), a study site in Pennsylvania (Codorus Creek), and a river in Mississippi (Leaf River).

LTRWS: The Four Rivers in the Study

The 10- to 20-year Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS) examines the influence of pulp mill effluent discharges on receiving water aquatic ecosystem health has been initiated.

Summary: Long-Term Receiving Water Study

The Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS) is a 10- to 20-year that examines the influence of pulp mill effluent discharges on receiving water aquatic ecosystem health.

Sox and Nox

Sox and Nox - Video for the Trade-Off Tool Website

Non-wood fiber for paper making

Greenhouse Gases

Chlorinated Compounds

Recycled Fiber

Water Use in Pulp and Paper Mills

Possible Treatment Technologies and Associated Costs for Nutrient Removal from Paper Industry Effluents

Numeric Nutrient Criteria Workshop presentation from the NCASI Northern Regional Meeting (Portland, ME) by William Thacker (NCASI) May 11, 2010.

Energy Use in Pulp and Paper Making

Macroinvertebrates

This hands-on, instructional video features NCASI Research Scientist Bill Arthurs demonstrating the process and purpose of macroinvertebrate collection for laboratory analysis as part of the Long-Term Receiving Water Study (LTRWS).

On-Demand Video Library

NCASI’s On-Demand Video Library consists of a variety of recorded presentations on some of our most commonly sought-after topics. Each…